When Reheating Mac And Cheese, Don't Count Out Your Toaster Oven

If you've cooked a large feast for your family or friends for a celebration or get-together, you may have whipped up a pretty large batch of macaroni and cheese. Perhaps you even baked this macaroni and cheese with a crispy topping layered above all of that cheesy and creamy deliciousness. If your guests didn't happen to devour all of that tasty mac and cheese, and you've got some leftovers waiting for you in the fridge, then there are several options available to you to reheat your mac and cheese. While you can warm up your mac and cheese in your microwave, oven, or on your stovetop, an underrated appliance to restore your leftover mac and cheese to its fresh, creamy, cheesy, and crispy texture is your toaster oven.

Toaster ovens are actually one of the optimal options to use if you've specifically made a large amount of baked mac and cheese with a crunchy top layer. Just be sure to get one of the best toaster ovens so that your cheesy dish reheats just right. When you're ready to warm up your leftovers in the toaster oven, follow these guidelines to ensure your mac and cheese tastes just like it did when you first cooked it.

It's important that you reheat your mac and cheese in your toaster oven properly so it doesn't dry out and you lose all of that delicious texture and flavor. You'll first need to transfer your mac and cheese to a baking dish. However, if your mac and cheese was originally cooked with a crunchy top layer, pour a bit of milk in between the creases of the baking dish and the mac and cheese. If your mac and cheese has a consistent soft texture throughout, then just separate any lumps of macaroni, pour in a bit of milk, and stir it all together.

Before reheating the baking dish in your toaster oven, make sure you cover it with a lid that's safe to put in your appliance, or just some aluminum foil. Set your toaster oven to 350 F and start reheating your mac and cheese. Come back after 20 minutes to see how well it has warmed up. If you didn't originally cook your mac and cheese with a crunchy topping and now you want that crispy top layer, then remove that lid or foil and let it continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes. If you find that the texture of your reheated mac and cheese isn't quite creamy enough, mix in some butter and shredded cheese to get it right (for the creamiest mac and cheese, you actually need a blender).

You don't have to save your toaster oven for when it's time to reheat your leftover mac and cheese. You can also use this appliance when you're ready to cook mac and cheese, as it's just one of the things you didn't know you could make in your toaster oven. The process is actually quite simple. Preheat your toaster oven to 375 F. Layer your macaroni in a baking dish and stir in some evaporated milk, water, and your preferred seasonings.

Place a toaster oven-safe lid securely on your baking dish, and let it bake in your toaster oven for about 35 minutes while stirring it every so often to get the macaroni soft. After 17 minutes have elapsed, turn the baking dish so that the macaroni gets evenly baked. Once 35 minutes have passed, take the macaroni out of the toaster oven and stir it with cheese until the macaroni has an even distribution of cheese throughout. Cover the macaroni back up and put it in the toaster oven to bake for another 15 minutes, or until your macaroni is consistently tender and all of the cheese has melted. Stir it once more so that all of the macaroni is coated in sauce, and enjoy your toaster oven mac and cheese.